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The Learning Company
Background: The Learning Company was founded in 1980, and produced learning games such as Reader Rabbit and ClueFinders. In 1995, SoftKey competed to purchase TLC, and a year later adopted its name. After this, TLC also purchased Creative Wonders (1997), Mindscape (1998) and Broderbund Software. In 1999, TLC was purchased by Mattel Inc. and became "Mattel Interactive", which was called one of the worst acquisitions in corporate history. In 2000, suffering from financial troubles, Mattel Inc. sold TLC to Gores Group. In 2001 Ubisoft acquired TLC's major entertainment assets, while Riverdeep took over educational subsidiary and renamed it back to Broderbund. Currently, TLC and Broderbund are subsidiaries of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and their focus has shifted to educational apps and workbooks. 1st Logo (1990s-2001) Nicknames: "The Cheesy Learning Company Logo", "The Comet", "Cheesy Star", "The Red Trapezoid" Logo: On a starfield background, we see a comet-like object flying towards us starting from the upper right hand side of the screen. When it reaches the center of the screen, it explodes, then a trapezoid-like shape with the white words "The Learning Company" in a bold and italicized Times New Roman font, appears. Variants: *On Arthur! Ready to Race, the logo is updated in CGI. *On French-language games, the logo is replaced by "TLC ~ Edusoft" in silver text with a red "L" and "Toute La Connaissance" in smaller silver text below it, meaning "All The Knowledge". To the left of the text is a red square with a black "TLC" in it, with the "L" stretched vertically. *A still version with less bolder text appeared on later Kid Pix titles and re-releases of Slam Dunk Typing. FX/SFX: The comet flying, exploding, and the logo appearing. Music/Sounds: 4 descending notes, followed by a whoosh, a twinkling sound and another loud whoosh sound. The still version used the opening theme of the game. Availability: Common. This appears on most Learning Company games from the era, like Reader Rabbit, ClueFinders, and Scooby-Doo titles. Editor's Note: This is a widely popular and nostalgic logo for those who grew up with various Learning Company/Reader Rabbit games. 2nd Logo (2001-2007) Nicknames: "The Asteroid", "Earth", "The Red Trapezoid II" Logo: Over a space background, we see the planet Earth, as the text "The Learning Company" (in a less bolder font than before) form from a flash. After the earth disappears, the words slowly zoom towards us. When it's at a comfortable distance, an asteroid flies in from the upper left hand side of the screen forming the finished logo. FX/SFX: The logo forming, the asteroid flying. Music/Sounds: A piano note and a quiet whoosh, followed later by an asteroid sound (which pans from the right audio channel to the left) and another piano note (which is styled much like the last note in the first logo's music). Availability: Common, perhaps more so than the previous logo. Appears on many pre-2007 games from The Learning Company, such as later Reader Rabbit and Scooby-Doo titles (Scooby-Doo: Jinx at the Sphinx being an example), as well as Caillou's Magic Playhouse, SpongeBob SquarePants Typing, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?: Treasures of Lost Knowledge, and Zoombinis: Logical Journey, among other games. Editor's Note: Same as the previous logo. 3rd Logo (2007-2012) Nicknames: "The Asteroid II", "The Red Trapezoid III" Logo: Same as the previous logo, but "The Learning Company" banner is in a different font, with "Learning" bolder, and the trapezoid-like shape is replaced by a rectangle. FX/SFX: Same as the previous logo. Music/Sounds: Same as the previous logo. Availability: Scarce, as The Learning Company's newer games were becoming less common at this point. It was likely seen on every new game from the company prior to 2012. Editor's Note: While not as popular as the previous logos, it's still remembered by some.